Kennedy absence felt by Dems

With their dreams of health care reform imperiled by a party split over the public option, Democrats are keenly feeling the absence of Ted Kennedy, the liberal lion felled by a brain tumor that has kept him away from the Capitol for much of the last 15 months.

Insiders say that Kennedy, and maybe Kennedy alone, has the stature to help President Barack Obama bridge the gap between liberals who insist on a government-run option and moderates who remain fearful of the cost — and even bring along some Republican support as well.

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Jim Kessler, vice president for public policy at the Third Way, a centrist Democratic think tank, said that Kennedy hasn’t been “that keenly missed in terms of what’s going on in the debate“ — up until now.

“This is the first time that aspects of health care reform have the potential to divide the progressive base,” Kessler said. “And that’s where he could unify them.”

Jennifer Palmieri, a senior vice president for communications at the liberal Center for American Progress, agreed that Kennedy “would have appeal for the Republicans and then have the impact for perhaps coalescing support on the left.”

“We’ve worked together so many times,” Utah Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch — a close Kennedy friend — said as the Senate prepared for recess earlier this month. “Now, we’ve fought each other most of the time, but when we get together, people tend to get out of the way. And he wanted to work with me on health care.”

Hatch recently walked out of bipartisan talks in the Finance Committee over health-care legislation and has sharply criticized a Democratic health bill that emerged from Kennedy’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Hatch has called the HELP proposal a “staff-driven” bill, and he doubts Kennedy would have advanced such a measure.

But Hatch said he hasn’t talked with his friend about health care for about two months.

Senate Democratic insiders also say there’s been little contact with the Massachusetts Democrat recently. “Nobody seems to have any details,” said a Democratic insider close to the Senate leadership. “It just seems like [Kennedy] is not coming back.”

While there’s little news from the Kennedy compound in Massachusetts, Kennedy’s absence from recent public events has fueled fears about his health.

Kennedy did not return to Washington on Aug. 6 for the vote — symbolic though it would have been — on the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

Last week, Kennedy was not present for the ceremony, hosted by Obama, where he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award given out by the U.S. government.

Several days later, Kennedy missed the public funeral service for his sister, Eunice Shriver, who passed away at age 88. Kennedy’s office said he did take part in the private, family-only portion of Shriver’s funeral services.